


5 Dates With Duo

by alittlepieceofgundamwing_archivist



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Flashbacks, Implied lemon, Lime, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Yaoi, it all makes more sense after you read the epilogue, mostly Post EW
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-21
Updated: 2013-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 21:12:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14723678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlepieceofgundamwing_archivist/pseuds/alittlepieceofgundamwing_archivist
Summary: by Lady Archer--Heero had been so unsure what to do after he had first gotten Duo's message, what to think. He had given up two years ago...had been sure Duo had forgotten all about him. To be given this hope was almost too much.





	1. Date One - On the Court

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).  
> \--------  
> Warnings: Fluff that is sometimes deep fluff and climaxes into limey fluff and then fades off into sap/aw-inducing fluff. Post-war

"This is stupid," Heero commented to his reflection, scowling slightly, unease present in his blue eyes. He looked down at himself with a critical eye and fingered his green button-down shirt and blue jeans. After a few minutes of inspection he turned away with a frustrated sigh and refused to look in a mirror again.  
  
He looked around his room, trying not to look at the vidphone and utterly failing. Heero hesitated for just a second more, and then desire won out and he went to his vidphone and played the message that he had been obsessively watching for close to two weeks now.  
  
He waited a second and then a picture of a sunny Duo popped up. Heero had noticed the changes the first time he had watched the message, but he couldn't help but see them every time. Duo's face was sharper, more mature and more defined than the round, heart-shape Heero had remembered. His eyes were slightly wiser, and his hair was a lighter shade of chestnut. Light freckles splayed across his nose and cheeks, and Heero hungrily drank up those and other miniscule details.  
  
It had been three years...  
  
Heero had heard even more changes as Duo spoke. He still spoke faster than was humanly possible, but Heero noticed a distinct difference. Whereas before each of his words had wrestled to come out faster than the one before, now, though he spoke just as fast, each word was crisp and recognized. Heero had no trouble whatsoever hearing every word in the message, while before he had had to spend a few seconds to decipher and separate the words every time Duo spoke.  
  
The words were a sweet melody to his ear, the tone just deep enough that Heero knew Duo was long past his awkward puberty.  
  
"Hey Heero," Duo spoke, and Heero closed his eyes, just reveling in the voice. "I bet you're surprised, ne? Can't say I wasn't a little shocked myself when I realized I dialed up your number. But, I'm kind of glad I did. It's been a while, ne? Guess you're not here. I kind of want to chicken out now, but I don't think either of us would be too pleased if I did, I guess. I was just thinking...how about you and me get together? A Saturday sometime, if you're not busy? I don't know if you are any more, but last time I checked you were with the Preventers, so maybe you're busy with work, or maybe with someone or something. But if not, how about we do something? And I was just wondering...maybe if you were free for a couple more Saturdays, we could get together more than once. Don't forget, five's the lucky number, Yuy." Heero opened his eyes just in time to see the Duo-image grin. "Get back to me, 'k?"  
  
Heero had been so unsure what to do after he had first gotten the message, what to think. He had given up two years ago...had been sure Duo had forgotten all about him. To be given this hope was almost too much.  
  
He had been thankful that he had had the wits to get back to Duo and agree to meet. Now, however, he wasn't sure if this was such a good idea.  
  
He wondered where Duo was going to take him. He wondered if it was too late to back down.  
  
A knock on his door told him otherwise. He opened the door and was faced with a grinning Duo.  
  
"Hello, can Heero come out and play?"  
  
Heero lips twitched, threatening to smile, but instead he snorted. God, had it been three years? Or was his laptop going to beep any minute and inform him of a new mission as he slammed the door shut on Duo?  
  
"Where are we going?" he asked instead of the million other things he had wanted and intended to say.  
  
Duo smirked before raising his eyebrows. "Not telling, but don't you think you're dressed a bit inappropriately?" he asked, his tone reprimanding.  
  
Heero looked down at his own clothing, and then up at Duo, and slowly took in Duo's shorts, sneakers, white undershirt, and the basketball nestled in the crook of his arm.  
  
"Come on Heero, where's the detective I know and love? Where are we going?"  
  
Shaking his head slightly, Heero motioned Duo inside, and went to change while Duo inspected every inch of his apartment.  
  
"Nice," Duo commented absently, looking at a picture of the earth and colonies he found hanging up. Heero took that moment to admire Duo from behind.  
  
Duo was in incredible shape, and Heero didn't miss the well-defined muscles under the revealing clothing. Though Duo obviously had quite a tan now, Heero bet that his skin was still as soft...  
  
Heero blinked, and deliberately looked away. Where had this _desire_ come from? He had been fine a year ago, had been fine a month ago, even. One message from and two minutes in a room with Duo and now all he could think about was sex!  
  
"This has got to stop," he muttered to himself.  
  
Duo turned to look at Heero and raised his eyebrows. "Hm?"  
  
Heero looked at him blankly. "What?"  
  
Duo blinked. "Thought you said something." His eyes raked over Heero. "Much better," he said in reference to Heero's tank top, shorts, and sneakers.  
  
Together they walked out of Heero's small apartment and outside the building, and Duo led them to a park where there were several courts outside.  
  
"Ready for a few rounds, Heero?" Duo asked, a smug grin on his face.  
  
"This was pretty out of your way to go to for just a basketball game," Heero felt compelled to point out.  
  
"Maybe I just want the satisfaction of pounding your face into the pavement, Yuy," Duo said.  
  
Heero smirked, and didn't ask Duo any more questions.  
  
Facing each other, Duo threw the ball into the air, and then they played. For a long time there were no sounds but the scuffle of sneakers on pavement, the thud of a basketball hitting the ground, and a sudden simultaneous cascade of cheers and curses when the ball made its way through a hoop.  
  
After about three hours, they both paused for a bit, breathing hard. Bent over, hands on his knees, Duo looked up at Heero, a grin on his face. "What's the score?" he asked, voice a little hoarse.  
  
"Tied."  
  
Duo's stood up straight and put his fists on his hips, a pleased glint in his eyes.  
  
"This is it, Yuy. This is going to decide the winner of the All- Important Earthsphere Wide 1x2 Basketball Competition! Any last words before I pound you into the ground in an utterly humiliating defeat?"  
  
"1x2? Does it have to be our code names?"  
  
"Duh. The Heero and Duo Competition sounds lame."  
  
"And 1x2 doesn't...?"  
  
"Would you prefer 2x1?"  
  
"Should that make a difference to me?"  
  
"No appreciation!" Duo snorted. "Does this mean you're backing out?"  
  
Heero shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't matter."  
  
"Damn right."  
  
"...Seeing as how I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face in two seconds flat."  
  
"Oh, is that a challenge, I hear, Yuy?"  
  
"Challenge? It was a statement of fact."  
  
Duo laughed. "God, that was so childish! But for the sake of continuing this immaturity, I believe the last laugh will be mine."  
  
They stared at each other, breathing heavy, and then by mutual agreement burst into action.  
  
For fifteen minutes they passed the ball, dribbled, shoved each other, shot and missed. There were no rules suddenly, if there were ever any at all, as they pulled no punches so to speak. They tripped each other, elbowed ribs, and at one point Duo kicked Heero in the stomach when Heero almost scored and Heero retaliated by shoving Duo just as he was about to steal the ball so he fell on the pavement, hard. Neither complained.  
  
They continued playing, and then seeing a sudden opening, Duo threw the ball in a sure arc for the hoop, but just before he let it go Heero slid on the pavement knocking his feet out from under him causing the ball to change course slightly. Absolute silence reigned as they watched the ball...  
  
...Soaring...  
  
...Higher...  
  
...Higher...  
  
...Farther...  
  
...And into the hoop...  
  
...Of the basket two courts over.  
  
"I win!" Duo cried.  
  
"What? It has to be on this court!"  
  
"Says who?"  
  
"That was _not_ your win."  
  
"Heero is a sore loser, Heero is a sore loser," Duo happily sang, jumping to his feet and pumping his hands into the air triumphantly.  
  
"I am a sore loser," Heero acknowledged. "But you're a proud cheater."  
  
Duo paused in his reckless cheering to stare at Heero, obviously debating how much offense he should take from that comment. Apparently making up his mind, he retrieved the ball and twirled it on his index finger, saying, "Only sore losers would make such lame excuses."  
  
Heero shrugged, and his eyes glinted. "I don't like to associate with cheaters, they're too tainted. I guess that means I'm not going to associate with you anymore." Duo looked mildly worried, trying to decide how serious Heero was being. "Though honest cheaters...I don't have a problem with that."  
  
"The goal is to get the ball in the hoop, Heero. Who says which one? I got the ball into a hoop, didn't I?" He was trying for nonchalance, but Heero could see an edge of anxiety in him.  
  
"Of course, clever, loop-hole-finding cheaters I don't have a problem with, either. I suppose that means I can still hang out with you. Disappointed?"  
  
Duo smirked. "Devastated."  
  
Heero snorted. "So, what now?"  
  
"What do you mean, what now? That's it. We go our separate ways, say good-bye and I love ya, and maybe, if you're up to it, make plans for next Saturday."  
  
Heero stared at Duo. "That's it?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Just a basketball game."  
  
"Uh, _yeah_."  
  
"You came from wherever the hell you came from to play a game of basketball."  
  
"It was one hell of a game, you know."  
  
"And now you're leaving?"  
  
"What do you want me to do? Go back to your apartment and shower with you or something?"  
  
"Yes," Heero replied without thinking, and then immediately blushed red. He stammered incoherently for a few seconds, unable to find a way to smoothly recover from the slip.  
  
Duo cast a sidelong glance at Heero, and he was silent for a long moment, his eyes searching Heero. "Damn, Heero," he said softly. "You're serious about this, aren't you?"  
  
Heero said nothing.  
  
"Not today," Duo said at last. "But, we can make plans for next Saturday. That is, of course, if you want to."  
  
Heero smiled slightly. "Yes. Same time?"  
  
Duo nodded.  
  
"Dress code?"  
  
Duo grinned. "You get to guess."  
  
"What? Tell me where we're going."  
  
"There's no fun in that! You have to guess. We played basketball today. Where's the next logical place I'd take you?"  
  
"There's no logic in dating!" And then Heero fell abruptly silent as he realized what he just said, bringing his total of mistakes in the last five minutes up to two.  
  
"This was a date?" Duo asked, eyes glinting slightly.  
  
"Well, wasn't it?" Heero retorted defensively.  
  
"If you want it to be..." Duo trailed off, and looked at Heero expectantly.  
  
"It was," Heero said firmly after a seconds thought.  
  
"Then I guess you do want to try for number two, then?"  
  
Heero nodded, and Duo smiled softly. "See you in a week, Heero." He walked Heero back to his apartment in silence, and then with an informal type salute walked away. It wasn't until he was completely out of sight that Heero realized not only did he not know where Duo was heading or where he was staying, but also that Duo had never answered his question.  
  
Shaking his head slightly he walked inside his apartment. He took a long hot shower and thought about next week. Getting dressed, he paused beside the bathroom mirror.  
  
"This is so stupid," he remarked to his reflection, but this time his reflection smiled slightly in answer and his eyes held a certain anticipation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: That thing about the competition title being 1x2 or 2x1? Yeah, that was just for me ^_^;;;. I couldn't resist.


	2. Date Two - Cathy's Coffee Café

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by Lady Archer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).

Taking a deep, calming breath, Heero picked up the small piece of paper where he had written the following in his neat, precise handwriting:  
  
_Day: Saturday_  
_Time: 4:00_  
_Destination: Unknown_  
_Dress Code: Unknown_  
_Relationship status: Unknown_  
  
Disappointed that he was still so lacking in information, he debated calling Duo again. Duo had been pretty irritated when he had called the second time demanding to know what he should wear, making it very clear that he was going to be pissed if he had to get changed again when Duo arrived. Duo, of course, had not only refused, but also had twisted Heero's words and thoughts around so that by the end of the conversation Heero had been under the impression that he had called Duo with the intentions of talking about a press conference that had been on TV earlier that day.  
  
And now it was 3:48, and Heero could no longer put off the terrible ordeal of trying to guess where Duo was going to take him and dressing appropriately. After 4 minutes of more stress then he should ever experience in front of his closet, he finally said to himself, `to hell with this,' and decided on a neutral t-shirt and jeans. The only thing for certain was that he was _not_ going to change.  
  
At 3:57 he left his apartment and walked downstairs, and at exactly 4:01 a sleek, black car pulled over in front of him, a smiling Duo in the driver's seat. Hopping out of the car, Duo strolled over to Heero, gave him a quick hug, and then turned around and gestured grandly to the car.  
  
"Well? What do you think? Isn't it awesome?"  
  
Heero had to admit it was a very nice car. He admired it for a few seconds. "Yes, it is a very nice, a nice...what is it?"

Duo's grin widened, and he looked very pleased with himself. His tone begging of compliments, he said, "What do you think? It's my own invention, you know."  
  
Of that, Heero had no doubt. On closer inspection underneath the generous coat of black paint he could detect the parts of at least twenty different cars.  
  
Heero continued to inspect it with a critical eye for a few minutes. "It...certainly is interesting," he said at last.  
  
Duo huffed, seeming mildly insulted. "It runs fine, if you're worried I'm gonna kill you," he snapped.  
  
Heero looked surprised. "Of course it runs," he commented, "you made it."  
  
Duo blinked, and then his expression turned very smug.  
  
"So, where are we going?" Heero asked, ready to be told to march right back upstairs to get changed and just as ready to flat out refuse to do so.  
  
"Not telling."  
  
Heero sighed in annoyance. "What's the point in not telling me?" he demanded to know.  
  
"I'm just trying to make things a little more fun for you, Yuy," Duo said cheekily.  
  
"No, you're trying to kill me with stress."  
  
"That, too," Duo admitted, and then opened the car door for Heero.  
  
Knowing he was fighting a losing battle, Heero got inside and waited for Duo to hop into the driver's seat. Duo started the car and Heero was even more impressed with how smoothly the car ran. For a while there was silence except for the radio.  
  
"Excited?" Duo asked casually after they had been driving for a few minutes.  
  
"I still can't believe I'm doing this," was the muttered response.  
  
"Please, you were looking forward to it, weren't you?"  
  
Heero looked out at the road, and instead of answering decided to try his luck again. "Where are we going?"  
  
Duo sighed. "That's all you're concerned about, isn't it? I'm only telling you this because gray hairs would _not_ look good on you. We're going to Cathy's Coffee Café; it's about 10 minutes from here. I discovered it a few days ago when I had breakfast there.  
  
Heero stared at Duo. "We're going to a coffee shop?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"A _coffee shop_?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
" _A coffee shop_?"  
  
"Heero, I ain't saying it again."  
  
"I've been worrying all week about this stupid promise and we're going to a _coffee shop_?!"  
  
"What did you think?" Duo asked, stopping at a red light and turning around to fully look at Heero. Suddenly a knowing light entered Duo's eyes. "Oh...I know! You thought we were going dancing or something, didn't you?" A slight flush to Heero's cheeks betrayed him.  
  
"So what?" he growled defensively. "It's the kind of thing you'd drag me to."  
  
Duo laughed. "Heero, man, what am I going to do with you? We're just going to have a cup of coffee, is all."  
  
He watched with amusement as the tension noticeably drained from the Japanese man. "Besides, everyone knows dancing is on the fourth date."  
  
Heero was instantly on guard again. "Says who?" he demanded.  
  
Duo rolled his eyes. "Me, of course. Oh, and by the way, wear something comfortable on our fourth date because we're going dancing."  
  
Heero growled something unintelligible and more likely than not uncomplimentary.  
  
"Don't be so sour! I'm telling you where we're going and what to wear so you should be thrilled! That is, of course, if we have a fourth date."  
  
Choosing to ignore the idea of dancing, Heero said, "So a basketball game and a cup of coffee? That's what you came up with for our dates?"  
  
"I thought you would be happy. I'm giving you two easy runs!"  
  
"I suppose..."  
  
"You don't have to go out with me, you know. Just back out anytime."  
  
"I didn't say that," Heero grumbled.  
  
"Besides, this date's only for an hour, anyway."

Heero stared at Duo. "An hour?"  
  
"Uh-huh. You only have to put up with me for one hour today, aren't you happy?"  
  
"An hour."  
  
"This echo thing is getting pretty irritating," Duo remarked.  
  
"Why an hour?"  
  
"Because I said so. Besides, who wants to stay in a coffee shop for more than an hour?"  
  
Heero considered this, and they were silent for the rest of the ride, listening to the radio.  
  
They arrived at a small, quaint store that proclaimed in bright neon lights, `Cathy's Coffee Café.' Stepping inside, they were greeted by a tall, pretty girl.  
  
"Hello, my name's Liz. Welcome to Cathy's Coffee Café," she said cheerily.  
  
"Table for two, sugar," Duo said, grinning, and she picked up two menus. Seeing with alarm the look she was giving Duo, Heero wrapped a possessive arm around the boy's waist, and was amused to actually see the girl's hopes shatter in her eyes. Duo gave him an amused look and didn't comment.  
  
They sat down, and studied the menus. Another waitress came by and they ordered, Heero a coffee, black, no sugar, and Duo a triple latté.  
  
Duo leaned back in the booth and regarded Heero silently for a few seconds. "So, Heero, what've been up to these past years with no war?"  
  
"I joined the Preventers," he said. "But you knew that."  
  
"Yeah, so how's it going? What's it like?"  
  
"Busy," he said. Duo rolled his eyes. Hailing over their waitress, he ordered a glass of ice water.  
  
"Okay, we're going to do this again, 'k? And every time you talk to me in less then two sentences, I'm going to kick you, and if I hear even _one_ one-syllable response from you I'm going to splash my water into your face. Got it?"  
  
"Yes," Heero said, and then seeing Duo raise his newly acquired cup of water towards him he hastily added, "I understand the boundaries you've set. I agree to your terms."  
  
Laughing loudly, Duo took a sip of his drink and grinned. "Good boy," he commented, knowing it would piss Heero off, and knowing that if Heero wanted to yell at him he was going to have to think of two sentences with which to do it.  
  
"Now, how is it going at the Preventers?"  
  
Heero paused, and Duo waited expectantly. "It is going very well," he said slowly. "At first, all I did was prevent assassination attempts. After the war dissenters were going all out to take out key public figures. For a while after that I did security systems work, and now I do not have too much of a regular agenda."  
  
Duo looked beside himself with delight at such a long response. "I knew a guy named Rick who tried out for the Preventers a few months ago. He said that the guy who evaluates all the newcomers is a real bastard, doesn't miss a thing, and that everyone calls him 'The Taskmaster' behind his back. Do you know who the guy is?"  
  
Heero coughed uncomfortably. "That would be me," he said, and then quickly added, "I...do not take it easy on any new recruits, I suppose."  
  
Duo's eyebrows shot up, and then he burst into laughter. "That's _you_? The things he said you said..." Duo trailed off into stunned laughter.  
  
Heero tried to be mad, but instead he found himself loving Duo's rich, deep laughter, and he found himself wondering how he could get Duo to laugh like this all the time.  
  
"What about you?" Heero asked. "What are you doing?"

"You're never going to believe it," Duo said.  
  
"Are you going to tell me?" Heero asked. Duo paused, and then kicked Heero in the shin when he didn't hear a second sentence. Heero glared at Duo, but Duo just shrugged.  
  
"You agreed to the terms." Heero snorted. "Anyway, so after the war I didn't really know what to think or what I was going to do with my life, so I went back to school!" Heero was surprised.  
  
"Really. I did not know. Uh, what did you study?"  
  
Duo grinned and continued, "Yeah, so I went back for two whole years, and I got degrees in science and business. I'm really glad I did. I mean, I can fly a Gundam better than practically the entire population of the Earthsphere, but I'll be damned if I know anything about anything else. And it was totally government paid, too."  
  
"I almost went back to school," Heero admitted, "But I found that J's training made schoolwork too tedious."  
  
"I'm not surprised, Mr. Perfect Solider. I bet you could have helped me with my multiple calculus no problem. I had hell in that class."  
  
Heero smirked. "Probably. But what about the last year? That only accounts for two of the three years I haven't seen you."  
  
"I put that education to damn good use, Heero. I'm a businessman now! I wear a suit and everything. I even own a tie! Can you believe it? If there is one thing I never thought I'd own, it's a tie."  
  
"I do not own a tie," Heero said. Duo kicked him.  
  
"I do stuff in salvage, mostly. There's just millions of tons of metals and scrap that went into those damned mobile suits, and I'm overseeing contracts that are making a lot of more practical stuff with it."  
  
"Are you happy? Not that you went to school, but now?"  
  
"Considering I had envisioned myself dead, either six feet under of blown to bits, by now, you could say I'm pretty pleased!"  
  
"Three years is a long time, Duo. Why haven't you contacted me since the end of the war?"  
  
Duo sighed. "I was waiting for you to contact me, Yuy. I didn't want to come to you and then...find you weren't ready or didn't remember or some shit."  
  
"You didn't contact anyone?"  
  
Duo kicked him and said, "Oh, I talked to lots of our old war buddies. I talk to Quat all the time, and I have contracts with Hilde and her salvage business, and I hang out with Howard sometimes."  
  
Heero frowned. "I have talked with Quatre. He never mentioned you."  
  
Duo grinned. "That's because I told him not to."  
  
"Why would you tell him that? I would have...I would have liked to talked to you."  
  
"I already told you. It's because I wanted you to be sure you...wanted to talk to me when I talked to you."  
  
"Now you are contradicting yourself," Heero pointed out. "It was you who contacted me in the first place."  
  
Duo looked slightly sheepish. "Yeah, I did, didn't I?"  
  
"Yes, you did. Why did you contact me?"  
  
"Well, it happened when I was on L4, and I was visiting a contract of mine. I was in the hanger where they dismantle the suits, and it was pretty early so not too many people were there, and I...tripped."  
  
Heero raised his eyebrows. "You tripped. A trained Gundam pilot tripped on what?"  
  
"Yeah, I know. It was a wrench."  
  
"You tripped yourself on a wrench," Heero stated, and then winced slightly when Duo kicked him again. His shins were starting to hurt.  
  
"I know. I really didn't want to tell you this, kind of embarrassing, you know. But anyway, as I was lying there really dazed with the wrench I tripped over and at least two nails digging into my back, all I could think of was how much I wanted you to be there lying on that cold, hard floor next to me."  
  
Heero was silent, staring at Duo, and Duo stared into his coffee mug. "Really," Heero said at last. Without hesitation or a glance up from his mug Duo took his glass of water and splashed the entire cup full on Heero.  
  
Heero's mouth dropped open and he stared wide-eyed, water dripping down his face and soaking him, at Duo who calmly ordered another glass of water from their dumbfounded waitress. Several people had gone silent to stare at them.  
  
"Yeah," Duo continued casually, "so when someone finally came in the hanger and found me lying there and helped me up and all I couldn't help but thinking how you were the first thing I thought of when I was half-unconscious there, and I got your number from Quat and called you up without thinking. You don't know how relieved I was when you didn't pick up the phone, man."  
  
"I see," Heero said, absently wiping some water from his brow. "I'm glad you called, Duo," and his tone was very serious.  
  
Duo chuckled slightly. "I suppose I was so worried because I just couldn't, and I really hate to admit this, mind you, but I couldn't get the image out of my head that I was going to show up at your apartment door and come inside to see little Peacecraft-Yuys bouncing on your knee."  
  
Duo blushed slightly, and stared out the window, and they were both silent picturing the scene. Heero shuddered slightly, and it wasn't due to a very damp shirt.  
  
"How's Relena doing, anyway?" Duo asked, emphasizing each of the syllables in the girl's name.  
  
"Relena? How should I know?"

Duo grinned. "Good answer, Yuy. But seriously, you don't ever talk to her?" Duo pressed on, seeming very anxious for an answer. "You don't like her or anything?"  
  
"I used to like Relena," Heero said quietly, and Duo looked up sharply, alarmed. "I thought I was going to be with her forever. She asked me to stay with her, once, right after the war, but I turned her down. She never asked me again."  
  
"Do you love her?" Duo asked softly.  
  
Heero stared at Duo, and he decided on the truth. "I did," Heero said, and Duo forgot to kick him.  
  
Duo looked intently at Heero for a long, awkward moment. "Care to expand on that?" he managed to say.  
  
"I did," Heero said, still quietly. "And now I don't. Because I realized that I never did." This silence stretched even longer than the first.  
  
"Fair enough, Yuy," Duo said at last, and the subject was closed.  
  
"Duo? Are you happy with your life?" Heero asked, changing the subject much to the relief of both of them.  
  
"Didn't we already go through this? I'm alive and I wear a tie. I'm ecstatic."  
  
"Then I suppose you're not missing anything?" Heero was trying to say something, but he wasn't sure he wanted an answer. "Your life is...complete."  
  
"Yeah, I guess. I ­ oh." Duo's eyes widened and Heero would've seen a light bulb click on over Duo's head if he hadn't been staring at the tabletop. Duo gently covered the hand that was holding Heero's mug with his own. "I mean it was complete as of a few weeks ago when you answered my call."  
  
Heero looked up and their eyes locked.  
  
"Heero, seriously, you don't have anything to be self-conscious about, buddy. If anything, I'm dying over here waiting for you to tell me this was a terrible idea and you're over whatever illness you were down with when you accepted."  
  
Heero smiled slightly. "That was really sappy, Duo." Duo kicked him in the shins, and it wasn't because Heero only spoke one sentence.  
  
"Man, this is getting a little heavy, but I kind of wanted to get it out of the way, I suppose."  
  
Heero nodded, and they talked for a little while longer about inconsequential topics, and Heero's shins acquired a few more bruises.  
  
"Well, Yuy, ready to go?" Duo said.  
  
Heero raised his eyebrows. "Now?" Duo promptly poured his entire cup of ice water over Heero's head.  
  
Heero growled, looking ready to kill, Duo quickly said, "Yup. It's been an hour. It is exactly 60 minutes since we walked in here, and I promised you a one-hour long date. It's time to go." Throwing down some money on the tabletop Duo leaped out of his seat just as Heero reached out to strangle him.  
  
"Come on, Yuy, calm down. Now come on, let's go."  
  
Taking a deep, calming breath, Heero nodded and followed Duo out. As he walked out, he noticed Liz admiring Duo from behind and glared at her until she paled and turned away. Duo looked back at Heero and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Everything okay?"  
  
Heero nodded and quickly caught up with Duo. They got into his car and Duo drove them back to Heero's apartment.  
  
On the drive back, Heero said, "I can't believe you had me worried over a coffee shop. I can't even believe that I'm doing this." He did not say, however, that this meant he wasn't going to continue.  
  
Duo laughed, and didn't say anything. They arrived at Heero's building, and Duo walked Heero back up to his apartment. They stopped right outside his door.  
  
"Bye," Heero said, and smirked when Duo automatically reached for a glass of water that wasn't there. Duo grinned, accepting the slight.  
  
Duo laid a quick kiss on Heero's cheek ­ much, much, much too quick a kiss, in Heero's opinion ­ before backing up.  
  
"So? Are we on for a third date, Yuy?"  
  
Heero shrugged, affecting a look of indifference. "Sure. Why not?"  
  
Duo smiled and turned to go but Heero stopped him. "Where are we going?"  
  
Duo sighed in loud exasperation. "Seriously, Heero, I'm beginning to think you're stupid or something. Do you think I'm going to tell you? Because I'm not. Actually, I was planning on telling you, but now that you asked me you're just going to have to suffer."  
  
"You were not going to tell me," Heero stated.  
  
Duo grinned. "I said I was _planning_ to. I might've, I probably wouldn't have, but I might've. You, however, have just blown your slim chance at a stress-free week."  
  
Heero glared, and Duo turned around again with the same intention of leaving. Without thinking Heero reached out and grabbed the long braid that brushed Duo's thighs and rubbed it softly between his fingers. Duo stared at Heero, who blushed once he realized what he had done.  
  
"I'll see you next Saturday," Duo said firmly, and then left. Heero opened his fist, allowing the braid to snake out of his grasp. He watched Duo leave, and was overcome with a sudden desperation for Duo to stay.  
  
"I realized I never loved Relena," Heero said to no one what he had intended to say earlier, "because I hadn't known what love was until I realized that I love you."  
  
It was going to be a damn long week.


	3. Date Three - Movies and Grassy Lane Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by Lady Archer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).

Heero was delighted beyond words. If he had been the type, his face would be lit up with a happy smile. As it was, he merely wasn't as tense as usual. Duo had called him yesterday, and had told him _exactly_ where they were going to go today. Granted, Duo had called because he wanted Heero to meet him there, but the important thing was that Heero had all the information.  
  
They were going to the movies. A terribly conventional date, yes, but that was insignificant to the fact that Heero knew enough details to know that the date was conventional. And not only that, but they were going to go to a 10:00 movie, and Heero could dress however he pleased. What movie they were going to see Heero hadn't been informed of, but he didn't really mind that either.  
  
At 9:40 Heero got dressed, and was ready to leave when he heard his vidphone ring. And that's when he was informed that an emergency had come up and Lady Une expected him to come to headquarters in ten minutes for a mission that would last anywhere from four days to two weeks.  
  
"Damn it!" Heero growled when he hung up. He muttered a continuous stream of curses under his breath as he regrettably called up Duo on his cel phone.   
  
"Duo here, what's up?"  
  
"Duo." There was a pause.  
  
"Hey, Heero. You still at your apartment? We're gonna miss the movie, if you don't hurry up, you know."  
  
Heero took a deep, breath, disappointed that there was nothing in reach for him to strangle or pummel. "I have to cancel."  
  
"...Oh."  
  
"Preventers work. I'm going to be gone for a few days."  
  
"Oh, yeah, sure. Well, that can't be helped, ne? So...that's fine. Get back to me."  
  
"I will. Bye, Duo," Heero said and hung up. It turned out to be a bitch of a mission. Security systems at an important government building in the L1 colony were acting up, and it turned out to be a sabotage deal, and unfortunately there were two successful assassination attempts. Heero and four others had had to go, uncover the underground ring, prevent six other assassination attempts, and then completely redesign the security to prevent this from happening again. Heero got a total of about two hours of sleep from mission beginning to mission end, and even that had been in fifteen-minute increments.   
  
When Heero got back to his apartment eight days later he was hungry, irritable, and in serious need of a shower and some sleep. He opened his apartment door, expecting to collapse on the couch even though he would have liked to have the energy to fix himself something to eat.   
  
What he had not anticipated, however, was seeing Duo lounging on his sofa munching on some chips and watching TV. He flashed Heero a smile, who continued to stand dumbfounded in the doorway. "Hey, Heero. What's up?"  
  
Heero continued to stare at him, stock-still. Heero was very happy to see Duo, he really was, but the first thought that came to mind was the sad conclusion that he wasn't going to be sleeping anytime soon, a feeling that was confirmed very quickly.   
  
Duo got up from his comfortable seat and strolled over to him with an amused look as if Heero should have expected to see him lying there in his apartment. He gently took Heero's arm and led him to the couch. He disappeared for a moment and returned with two sandwiches and a glass of orange juice, all of which Heero consumed in a few seconds flat.   
  
Duo took away the empty plate and glass, returned, and took Heero's arm once more and led him to the bathroom. He shoved a towel in Heero's hand, said a quick, "I'll come back in fifteen minutes," and shut the door.   
  
Heero stared at the towel in his hand, and then up at the closed door, and then decided to deal with it later and went ahead and showered. Feeling ten times better, he opened the bathroom door, and saw clothes folded neatly on the mat right outside the door. Shaking his head, he picked up the clothes and changed, exiting the bathroom just as Duo came back.   
  
Duo looked Heero up and down, and then nodded to himself, apparently satisfied. He took Heero's arm for the third time, brought Heero back to the couch, sat him down, and then settled next to Heero, head on his shoulder and arms wrapped around his waist. He didn't seem inclined to talk, but was quite comfortable to just lean on Heero and watch TV.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Heero finally asked. Heero supposed he could have used a more tactful phrasing as he watched the hurt flash briefly across Duo's face, but he was a bit too disoriented to care.   
  
"You canceled our date," Duo said, "and so I rescheduled."   
  
"For now?" Heero had the feeling there were more pressing questions he should be asking, but he couldn't seem to figure out what they were.  
  
"Yup."   
  
"Are you seriously suggesting that I want to go to the movies right now?" Heero was surprised he hadn't passed out yet.  
  
"Nope, I heard about your mission ­ you were pretty damn vague, you know ­ from Quat who heard it from Trowa who keeps pretty close in touch with Une. He also told me when you would be back. So, I rented," and Duo held up a bag that contained at least six movies that Heero had failed to notice in his sad state.   
  
Suddenly, something occurred to Heero. "How did you get into my apartment?"  
  
Duo rolled his eyes. "Please, I picked the lock. It took five seconds, tops." Heero nodded. Things seemed to make so much sense when one was half-unconscious. "See, I knew you'd be pretty tired. That's why I decided not to torture you today, and instead we're just gonna have a nice and easy couch and movie date."  
  
Heero decided to consent, if only because he didn't want to find out what Duo had planned before Duo had decided "not to torture him today." Duo seemed very happy with finding such an agreeable Heero, and he went into the kitchen and reappeared with a large bowl of popcorn, popped in a movie, and settled on the couch next to Heero.   
  
The movie was an action flick, so one-dimensional in plot that even Heero ­ who was falling asleep ­ knew all the plot twists ages before they happened. Duo seemed to enjoy it, talking almost non-stop through the flick with comments that he seemed to find incredibly witty and Heero had to admit were pretty funny. Heero didn't really mind those, but he had to admit he could do with out the constant, "That mobile suit would make a great car," and "Did you know that Hilde turns those models into shuttles?" and then the long explanations of how exactly that could be.  
  
The best part, in Heero's opinion, was the fact that Duo was molded into his side, and that he could play with his braid for as long as he wanted. The worst part, by far, was that Duo had actually intended to watch a movie and nothing else. That was definitely Heero's least favorite part.  
  
"Heero?" Duo asked quietly during one of the lulls in the third movie he had insisted they watch.   
  
Heero blinked sleepily and looked at Duo. "Hm?"  
  
"I saw a movie a few months ago. It had been about the war, and though the producers insisted that the characters were all fictional cause they couldn't get permission from anyone to cast real people, the main characters were so obviously the five of us it wasn't even funny. I mean, yeah one guy was short and had black hair, but he had a braid down to his ass and called his `Gundam that wasn't a Gundam' Deadlyknife. I mean, come on."  
  
Heero snorted softly. "Pretty pathetic."  
  
"Yeah, and it paralleled the war almost exactly, they just changed the names of places and things is all."  
  
"Was it good?" Duo didn't answer immediately as they were both distracted when a particularly loud explosion returned their attention to the movie.   
  
After watching for a few minutes, Duo said, "Yeah, I mean at first I was pissed because no one told me about it, but...it was really good. Except...they kind of didn't follow everything exactly."  
  
"Did you rent it? Are you asking me if I want to see it?" Duo looked at Heero.   
  
"Yeah, I did." Stopping the movie that they were currently watching, Duo popped in a new video called, "Endless Waltz." At first Heero thought it was a just a documentary, and he was going to insist that Duo shut it off. There was no need to watch something that he had had to live through.   
  
But then Heero was amused by the characters; they were exactly like the people they were obviously supposed to be, they just changed minuscule details like hair color, age, appearance trademarks, or rank. Heero was shocked that no one had sued this movie and demanded it never be shown again.  
  
He watched as the five "not-thems" as Duo called them hid in schools, destroyed bases, made the same mistakes they had made, and fought battles. There was a heavy emphasis on the relationship between his character and the Relena-character. He supposed Duo was still upset about this, and he supposed that Duo didn't much care for the many sex scenes between him and Relena's not-them.   
  
"It's just a movie," Heero said, and he tightened his grip around Duo to emphasis the fact that it was Duo in his arms and not Relena. However a look in Duo's eyes told him that he had missed the point entirely.   
  
It was towards the end of the movie that Heero found out what had really upset Duo, during a discussion between several important government members.  
  
<After years of struggle, at last the war is over,> Diplomat 1 (as Heero dubbed him) said.   
  
<Yes, yes, perhaps at last we will achieve the peace that we have so desperately sought,> said Diplomat 2.  
  
<Ah, but we will have to work very hard. This peace has not come easily, and nor will it stay if we do not nurture it.> This was the Diplomat 3.  
  
Heero rolled his eyes. This dialogue was starting to make him physically ill.  
  
<There is still an important matter to discuss,> Diplomat 2 said. <There is the matter of those who fought in the war.>  
  
<You mean the mobile suit pilots? Are they not heroes? Should they not be rewarded and hailed as such?> said Diplomat 1.   
  
<We have discussed this with others, both earth and colony representatives and with the people, and have reached a consensus,> said Diplomat 3.   
  
<Yes, we have come to the conclusion that these pilots are a menace to society.>  
  
Heero straightened slightly at this.  
  
<But they fought in the war!>  
  
<There is no place in a world of peace for soldiers of war.>  
  
<Those who have been trained to fight will always fight, and we cannot afford it in our fragile peace.>  
  
<I see your points,> said Diplomat 1 after they had argued about it for a bit, calling the pilots "blood-thirsty murderers" and other such flattering names.  
  
<We have no choice but to see that the pilots do not harm our peace, and to act accordingly.>  
  
Heero had been astonished at the sudden turn of the conversation, and his mouth dropped open when the five pilots were killed.   
  
"Holy hell," he said in amazement.  
  
He looked down and noticed that Duo was staring at Heero's shirt, and was pointedly not looking at the TV. Heero shut off the movie and looked at him. "Duo, tell me this hasn't affected you." He didn't answer, and Heero was incredulous. "It's just a stupid movie. Some people don't like us, so what?"   
  
"They have a point, though," Duo said softly.  
  
"Yes, we killed, yes we murdered, but we never enjoyed it and we never took it for granted!" Heero couldn't believe that Duo was this...hurt by the movie.   
  
Duo looked up and met Heero's eyes, and like a switch his dreary mood disappeared. "Congratulations, Heero," he said happily.   
  
Heero's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "For what?"  
  
"For winning the 'Saying the Right Thing' award." Duo smiled and laid his head on Heero's should, apparently done with the conversation. Heero, however, most certainly was _not_.   
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" He grabbed Duo's chin and forced him to look into his eyes.  
  
"Heero, the war is over. We killed, and when it was over I swore on everything I could think of that I would never fight again. You, however, went to the Preventers. You willingly _chose_ to kill. I don't care about your intentions, and I don't care that you're doing good. You're still fighting." He smiled slightly, "I just had to make sure you didn't enjoy it."   
  
Heero stared at Duo, his expression unreadable. Duo's lips quirked up, "We would have had quite a problem if I found out that you had a thing for killing, something along the lines of me walking out of here and not walking back."   
  
Heero nodded slowly, and instead of letting go of Duo's chin leaned forward for an angry kiss that eventually turned into something much more passionate. He traced Duo's sweet lips with his tongue, resting his hands on Duo's hips and dragging him closer, moaning deeply when he felt Duo run hands along his chest.   
  
For several minutes they merely explored one another in hot passion, reveling in the feel of one another after so long. Duo pulled away at one point, breathing heavily and smiling slightly. "Do you have plans for tomorrow?"   
  
Heero shook through his daze long enough to think about it, and then shook his head no. "That's good, because I have plans for tomorrow as well."  
  
"We're having another date tomorrow?"  
  
"Of course not. This still counts for this date."  
  
"But it's a different day. It should count as two," Heero insisted.  
  
Duo grinned. "I told you already, I gave you two easy runs. You're gonna have to work for it now, my friend."  
  
Heero sighed, and found he could do nothing but agree, silently damning Duo's twisted logic. "Where are we going?"   
  
Duo closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened them, and said, "You are an absolute idiot if you are still asking me that." Heero sighed, and sadly accepted the fact that he was going to remain forever uniformed.  
  
"So tomorrow we'll leave in the morning, kay?"  
  
Heero nodded. "Do you want me to take you home?"  
  
Duo raised his eyebrows. "Who said I'm going there?" Heero's eyes widened.  
  
"You're...staying? Tonight?" Duo nodded.  
  
"Yup," he said, and Heero was sure he was going to die of joy, "but no sex."   
  
Heero blinked. "...Excuse me?"   
  
"No sex," Duo repeated calmly.  
  
"..."  
  
Duo cast a sidelong glance at him. "This is my game, Heero, and I get five dates to play with you, if you want to keep going, of course. I'm going to sleep in your bed with you tonight, and we're gonna cuddle and all that shit, but that's it."  
  
"You don't want to have sex?" Heero asked in amazement.  
  
"Of course I do, Heero. Sometimes, though, you have to sacrifice for a greater good."  
  
"A greater good?" Heero was incredulous.  
  
"Have you ever heard of a little word `revenge'? You should look it up sometime."   
  
"Ah," Heero said as understanding came.   
  
Duo grinned, walked into Heero's bedroom, stripped down to his boxers, and wiggled under the covers.  
  
Heero slowly followed him, eyes tracking every move, silently damning the seductive American to hell. Taking a deep breath, Heero followed him into bed. After a few seconds of rearrangements they ended up entwined in the middle of the bed, arms and legs casually twisted together.  
  
Heero stared at ceiling, because he knew that if he looked at Duo he would take him, damn the rules.   
  
Against better judgment he snuck a peak at Duo, who was grinning, obviously enjoying this sick, twisted revenge of his.   
  
"This is a sick, twisted revenge," Heero said.  
  
Duo laughed and didn't deny it. Heero fell asleep very easily, and he supposed that it must've had something to do with the fact that he had intended to pass out four movies and one make-out session ago. Needless to say who had the starring role in his dream that night.   
  
Heero slowly woke up many hours later as he felt the sun creeping into his eyes, and he was greeted with the unusual but surprisingly natural feeling of Duo spooned up against him. He slowly trailed a hand down Duo's side, and he knew that if Duo wished to revenge against him for a million dates he wouldn't protest as long as he had the promise of what came after to look forward to.   
  
He watched as Duo slowly woke up, blinking owlishly up at him and grinning. He yawned loudly and stretched. "Morning, Heero," he said. After they had both showered and dressed ­ unfortunately (to Heero's unhappiness) not together, ­ they sat together at a small table in Heero's kitchenette and ate a quick breakfast of cold cereal.   
  
"Ready to go?" Duo asked when they were done, wearing Heero's clothes having not brought any of his own.  
  
Heero bit his lip to keep from asking where, and instead just nodded. Duo led Heero downstairs and out the building and they walked along the sidewalk silently until they came to a park called Grassy Lane.  
  
Heero raised his eyebrows. "We're going to a park?"   
  
Duo grinned. "Yup, a walk in the park."  
  
"Why are you going for such clichés?" Heero asked curiously. Duo looked at him.  
  
"They're new to me. I've never been to a park with you before, Heero," he said seriously.   
  
Walking inside Duo dropped all seriousness and turned to Heero with a mock authoritive air. "Okay, here's the plan."  
  
"We have a plan?"  
  
Duo winked. "Just for you, Heero." Heero smiled slightly.   
  
"What's to plan in a park?"  
  
"It's really simple, okay? We separate and go to one of the food stands and you go and get an ice cream or a hot dog or something as deliciously terrible for me, I go and buy some fruit or nasty nutrition bar for you, we eat, we walk, and we laugh a lot for no apparent reason just because we can."  
  
"Wouldn't it be easier to just buy our own food?"  
  
Duo rolled his eyes. "That's not how it works," he said. Heero decided not to waste any time arguing. Walking around they separated, and met each other on a bench under a shady tree. And Heero handed Duo a deliciously fried funnel cake topped with a triple scoop of cookie dough ice cream and Duo handed Heero a fresh salad and a bowl of strawberries.   
  
They sat down ­ very near to each other ­ and happily ate their treats. When they finished they stood up and by no one's initiative found themselves holding hands.   
  
For a while they just walked aimlessly, outwardly admiring the scenery and fresh atmosphere but really admiring each other.  
  
They talked of unimportant things and when Duo kicked Heero for a particularly unsatisfactory answer Heero snapped and ended up chasing Duo through the entire park. He finally caught up with him and tackled Duo to the ground. Laughing ­ for no real apparent reason, Heero was slightly amazed to find ­ they rolled around a few times before they broke apart and merely stared up at the sky, panting.  
  
Heero couldn't shake the feeling of how cliché this date was and pointed it out to Duo. "So?" Duo asked. "What did you think we would do?"  
  
"I just...this is not what I pictured when I imagined a date with you. I figured for something more...eccentric."  
  
"Disappointed?" Duo asked, looked slightly insulted.  
  
"No," Heero said and meant it.  
  
"You know, I've never been to a park before, not with you. It's not cliché to me," Duo repeated.  
  
"No, it isn't," Heero agreed, and they stayed that way for many hours, lying on the grass and watching the sky, thinking of space and wars and the past and each other.  
  
When it was starting to get dark they made their way back to Heero's apartment and Duo once again walked Heero to his door. "You know what next week is, don't you Heero?" Duo asked with a cheeky grin that widened when Heero paled. "Do you want to pick the dance club? I have a few in mind, but I'll let you pick if you want."  
  
"I am not going dancing."  
  
"Then you're backing out? Already?"  
  
Heero let out a low growl. "Fine. You pick. Where are we going?"  
  
Taking out a scrap piece of paper, Duo scribbled down a few notes and handed it to Heero. "This," he said, pointing to an address, "is where I've been staying since I came here. It's really near to where I have a contract, so this is all very convenient for me. This," he pointed to something else, "is what time you're picking me up. Lastly, this," he pointed to a question mark, "is which club we're going to, because I'm not telling until Saturday since you don't want to pick." He grinned. "See you, Heero."  
  
Heero studied the paper, and when he looked up Duo was gone. He tried to, he really did. He closed his eyes and concentrated and tried to hate the idea of going dancing with Duo, but no matter how much he tried he found that he couldn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Three things --
> 
> First, I called the movie, "Endless Waltz" because I couldn't think of another name, and it wasn't supposed to be the actual movie. In the fic it's just a title for a movie that covered the entire war.
> 
> Second, I know I really skimmed over the mission, but who cares about that? Am I right? ^_~
> 
> Last, the names to all the places (Grassy Lane Park, Cathy's Cafe, etc.) were made up. If they are acutally places, I didn't intend for them to be.


	4. Date Four - The Starry Space Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by Lady Archer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).

Heero woke up with a feeling of utmost dread. He spent a long time lying on his bed, planning ways to weasel himself out of the date later that day. After thinking up and rejecting a long list of schemes, he came to the sad conclusion that there wasn't going to be any hope of convincing Duo to pick a different date destination.  
  
He spent the day pointedly not thinking about that night, and kept it up until it was almost time for him to pick up Duo. Apprehensively he opened his closet door.  
  
<"Oh, and by the way, wear something comfortable on our fourth date because we're going dancing.">  
  
Heero sighed, closed his eyes, grabbed random pieces of attire, and ended up dressed in a button-down green shirt and dark slacks.   
  
Knowing that he couldn't delay anymore, he left his apartment and drove to the address Duo had given him. He considered turning back the entire ten minutes it took to get there, and it was with a deep breath and a resigned sense of dread that he made it up to Duo's rented apartment door.  
  
He knocked on the door, and was greeted with the awesome sight of Duo dressed for a club. He wore a tight, sleeveless shirt, tight, low- slung pants, and boots that came up to his ankles; he was draped in gaudy jewelry and had ribbons twisted through his hair.   
  
Duo grinned when he saw the glazed look in Heero's eyes, and gently took him by the arm and led him into the apartment. Realizing they were entering and not leaving, Heero gave Duo a confused look. "Aren't we going?"  
  
Duo smirked. "You're not ready." Heero looked down at himself, and felt a terrible sinking feeling in his stomach.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
Duo looked him up and down. "The outfits fine and all, I just want to...pretty you up a little," Duo said.   
  
Heero gaped at him. "You want me to wear _make-up_?"  
  
Duo grinned. "I want to dress you up. Let me?"  
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
"I just want to play a little. Yesterday I bought some stuff that I really think will look good on you. Let me?" he repeated.  
  
Heero glared at Duo, but he knew he couldn't say no. Putting up a good fight for five minutes but eventually conceding defeat, Heero allowed Duo to lead him to a mat that was in the small living room. Duo told Heero to sit down on it.   
  
Duo left and returned shortly with a bag of his newly acquired cosmetics and told Heero to close his eyes. Heero grudgingly complied, silently cursing the boy. Duo kneeled in front of Heero and set to work.  
  
Heero felt as Duo slowly traced patterns all along Heero's face, sometimes with soft brushes or with harder liners. Duo worked silently for several minutes. "Okay, I'm almost done," Duo said after a while. "I just need you to unbutton your shirt and to lie down," he instructed.   
  
Heero opened his eyes in alarm. "What the hell are you doing?"  
  
"Lie down," Duo repeated. Sighing, wondering what he was doing, Heero obeyed. "This is just a final touch, kay?" Heero saw him take out a black lipliner before he was once again forced to close his eyes. Heero was hard pressed not to laugh as the soft tip ran across his stomach.   
  
Duo pulled back, helped Heero up so that he was in a kneeling position, and then gave Heero several silver chains to wear around his neck.   
  
He told Heero to stand, and then looked him up and down. "Finished," Duo said happily. "Damn, Heero, you look *really* good." Heero was debating whether or not he even wanted to know as Duo led him to a full-length mirror.   
  
Heero stared at himself, torn between the desire to laugh and the more pressing desire to throttle Duo. The spirals and flowers and fluid symbols Duo had painted on his face, accentuating his eyes and flowing down to his neck, coupled with the deep blue eyeliner and the wine red color of his lips made him look like some sort of exotic dancer. His hair sparkled slightly depending on where he turned, but the worst part was yet to come.  
  
His shirt was left open revealing the entire expanse of his front, and written on his stomach in tall, bold letters were the words PROPERTY OF DUO MAXWELL.  
  
"Take it off," Heero said flatly.  
  
Duo grinned, seemingly extremely pleased with himself. "If you want to stop dating me, Yuy, you can wipe it all off any time you want. If you don't want to, though..." Duo trailed off and shrugged.   
  
Heero stared at his reflection. One night, he told himself. You can make it through one more night without killing Duo.   
  
He turned to the happy American and said in a conquered voice, "Let's go." Duo grinned and led the way downstairs. He joked about leading Heero around on a leash. Heero `joked' about strangling Duo with said leash.  
  
Getting into Heero's car, Duo directed him to the place he had picked out. Duo chatted the whole time about how his week had been, and about how much he had looked forward to tonight.   
  
"I'll go to the club," Heero said, "But I won't dance."  
  
"You'll dance," Duo said.  
  
"I won't."  
  
"Believe me, Yuy, you will."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Because it's going to be me asking you."  
  
Heero snorted softly, and didn't say anything for the rest of the trip save grunts of acknowledgment to Duo's directions. After about fifteen minutes they arrived to a deceptively small-looking building nestled between an eatery and a business building. The building was black with small splashes of white, and above the entrance were bright yellow words that proclaimed, "The Starry Space Club."   
  
They got out of the car, Duo hopping up and down on his feet, obviously impatient to go in. Heero went at a distinctly slower pace. He was already regretting this as he could hear soft beats drifting through the walls.   
  
After a long wait in line they walked inside and Heero's worst fears were confirmed. Lights were dim, music was bone-jarringly loud, and people were everywhere drinking and dancing. Inside, the dance floor spanned three stories by means of a spiral staircase in the middle of the room, the black walls and painted stars giving dancers the impression of traveling through space. Heero, having actually traveled through space, was decidedly unimpressed.   
  
Duo was saying things to him, but he couldn't make out the words and it was too dark for him to read his lips. Realizing this, Duo took Heero's hand and led him to the bar where the music was slightly less earsplitting.   
  
"Still regret coming?" Duo asked with a grin.  
  
"Yes," Heero said with absolute conviction.   
  
This seemed to only make Duo more amused. "You'll have fun, don't worry." He hailed over the bartender and ordered two drinks.  
  
"I am not dancing." Heero decided it might be necessary to make clear this fact to Duo, who just waved a dismissing hand.  
  
"Here's the plan -- "  
  
"We have a plan for here, too?"  
  
"Yeah, but you're not gonna like this plan."  
  
"I'm in this stupid place. It can't get any worse than that," Heero foolishly believed.  
  
"You are going to get really drunk," Duo said just as the bartender passed them their drinks.  
  
Heero stared into the blue concoction that was in front of him. "I am not drinking," he said.  
  
"It's just a drink," Duo pointed out. "I think you'll have more fun dancing if you have a drink."  
  
"No."  
  
Duo sighed, and looked thoughtful for a moment. Heero watched with interest as a sudden light went off in Duo's eyes, and he wondered if he should be worried. "Okay," Duo said slowly. "I won't drink at all. I'll stay totally sober."  
  
"So? I'm still not drinking."  
  
"I'll make sure nothing happens to you," Duo said seriously. Heero looked skeptical. "Unless, of course, you don't trust me."   
  
Their eyes locked, and without a word Heero lifted his glass and downed the whole drink in one gulp. He put the cup down, and raised an eyebrow. Duo was staring at him, his eyes suspiciously bright, though Heero supposed it could have been the lighting.   
  
Duo's mouth dropped open when Heero willingly ordered another drink. "One drink won't get me drunk," Heero stated matter-of-factly and then ended up ordering and drinking seven more glasses.   
  
"Heero, seriously, I believe you," Duo said, staring wide-eyed at Heero. "You can stop drinking."  
  
Heero distantly registered that he was successfully drunk as he ordered himself another drink. "Tastes good," he said indistinctly as he drank it before Duo could protest.   
  
Duo bit his lip, and if Heero hadn't been drunk he would have seen the concerned light entering his eyes.  
  
"Heero, I -- " Heero hiccupped slightly and Duo stopped, momentarily dumbstruck. "Heero, listen -- "  
  
"Yeah?" Heero drawled.   
  
Duo took a deep breath. "Heero, I -- "  
  
"You're reeeaaaal cute," Heero slurred suddenly, leaning on Duo. "I really really really really like you."  
  
Duo blinked and blushed slightly.   
  
"Damn best-looking man...person...I ever..." Heero trailed off as he spotted something interesting. He reached out and grabbed hold of a chestnut-colored long rope of silk, and he lovingly ran his hands along it, eyes wide in awe.  
  
"S'pretty," he mumbled. Duo coughed uncomfortably.  
  
"I think this was a bad -- "  
  
"Dance with me," Heero said abruptly, his voice clear for a moment before fading into an incoherent mutter. Heero wrapped the silky strands around his hand and used it as a leash to drag Duo onto the dance floor before the stunned American could utter a word.   
  
Stumbling slightly, Heero put his hands on Duo's shoulders to steady himself. "Dance wi' me," he repeated, eyes wide with adoration in thanks to an alcohol-induced innocence.   
  
"Okay," Duo whispered, and slowly wrapped an arm around Heero's waist as Heero wrapped an arm around him. Heero entwined his fingers from his free hand with Duo, and leaned close until he was pressed completely against Duo.  
  
Everything seemed so...perfect, and he was absolutely high on the intoxicating man in his arms. The music flowed through every inch of him, and he swayed to the seductive beat, forcing Duo to sway in time with him.   
  
For several songs they danced, and Heero was beside himself with delight. He turned to look in violet pools in which he was momentarily drowned.   
  
And then he burst into laughter. Duo looked at him strangely. "What's so funny?"   
  
Heero shook his head and continued to shake with mirth even as he continued to dance.   
  
"Heero? What's so funny? I want to know!"  
  
"Everything!" Heero exclaimed amidst his laughter, and then seemed unable to say anything else.   
  
Duo stared at Heero, and then he too burst into laughter. "You know, you're right. Everything is funny."  
  
And for several more songs they danced and laughed. A much faster paced song boomed through the place, and Heero pulled away suddenly. Duo looked confused.  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
"Will you follow me?" Heero asked, his eyes bright and his words slurred.  
  
"Yeah, anywhere," Duo said, and Heero took his hand and led him upstairs.   
  
"I miss space so much yeah I go there all the time but every time I'm down here I just can't help but want to fly the earth is so ugly but from space it's so so beautiful I'd go to space just to look down on earth," Heero babbled nonstop. Reaching the second floor they found that there were globes of color symbolizing planets and Heero was momentarily distracted by them.  
  
"Which one you wanna live on Duo?" Heero asked.   
  
Duo looked at him and smirked slightly. "I don't think they're fit for human settlement, Yuy," he said.  
  
"Which one?" Heero insisted.  
  
"Why do you want to know?" Duo wasn't sure why he arguing with a drunk man.  
  
"Cause I've gotta follow you," Heero said in a voice that in any other situation would have been perceived as serious but in this situation was just comical. He pointed to the words on his chest.   
  
Duo blinked, and then burst into laughter, and Heero laughed too because...well, he wasn't quite sure why.  
  
Heero tried to inspect other fascinating things in the room, but he was stopped by a hand on his arm. He turned around and saw his beautiful boyfriend.  
  
"Hi ya," he said, lifting his arm and curling his fingers slightly in a small wave.  
  
Duo grinned. "Dance with me, Heero?" Heero didn't even bother to answer, just grabbed both of Duo's hands and dragged them to the middle of the dance floor. Heero led Duo through a dizzying dance complete with twirls, dips, kicks, bounces to the beat, and heavy groping.   
  
Heero looked at Duo's awestruck expression. "Having fun, love?" he slurred.  
  
"Damn," Duo breathed, and then dragged Heero off to the side, pressed him against the wall, and kissed him senseless -- something that took an incredibly short amount of time all things considered. "You never told me you could dance," Duo accused softly in-between kisses.   
  
Heero blinked rapidly, trying to process the words and failing to decipher all but a few. He grabbed Duo's hand once more and led him up to the third level of the dance club.   
  
Once again they lost themselves in the music. At one point an unfamiliar face appeared besides Heero and stepped between him and Duo.  
  
"Hey there," the woman purred in a sultry voice, "want to dance with me?"   
  
Heero stared at her, and after slowly making sense of the words shook his head. "Can't," he said, and pointed to his chest.  
  
She stared at his chest, and traced a hand over the bold words. Heero saw Duo tap her on the shoulder, and though he didn't catch what was said the woman seemed very unhappy and perhaps a little frightened.  
  
"Too bad," she said, and left. Duo opened his mouth to speak but the movement brought Heero's attention to his lips and he latched onto the American and plundered his mouth. He pulled away and then took Duo's hands and danced with him some more.   
  
As the current song faded a much slower song took its place and they once again pressed together, swaying gently in time to the beat.   
  
"S'perfect," Heero said softly.   
  
Duo, whose head had been resting on Heero's shoulder, looked up. "What's perfect, Heero?" he asked.  
  
Heero giggled, and was surprised when Duo's jaw dropped. "You okay?" he asked.  
  
Duo slowly shook his head, and then slowly repeated, "What's perfect?"  
  
"You have to guess."   
  
Duo smiled slightly, and thought about it. "Me?" he asked, and glared when Heero burst into loud laughter.  
  
"Nope."   
  
"You?"  
  
Heero grinned and shook his head.  
  
"Hmmm...this night?"  
  
"S'night was...almost perfect," Heero slurred.  
  
"Us?"  
  
"Nah."  
  
"Peace?"  
  
"Uh-uh."  
  
"Then I don't know. What's perfect?"  
  
"Everything."  
  
"I thought everything was funny."   
  
"Everything _was_ funny," Heero said, smiling slightly, "but now everything's perfect. Right?"  
  
Duo looked into Heero's eyes. "Right, now everything's perfect." And then Heero laughed again.   
  
They danced for several more hours. Heero dragged them from floor to floor throughout the entire night, and refused to let them take a break.  
  
At about 4 in the morning Duo decided it was time to go, and he tugged on Heero's arms, steering him to the exit.  
  
"Dance with me?" Heero asked, eyes wide.  
  
Duo smiled softly. "We'll dance later, kay?" Heero nodded, and allowed Duo to lead them out. Duo took Heero's keys and drove them back to his building.  
  
Leaning heavily on Duo, the American helped Heero stumble up to his apartment door. Duo used Heero's keys to open the door and guided Heero to his bed, taking off his shoes and clothes and laying a soft kiss on his lips.   
  
In the morning when Heero woke up he was very unhappy to find Duo gone, or he supposed he would have been had he not had the more pressing concern of emptying his stomach into the toilet and finding some aspirin. His head was pounding, and the night before was a total blur.   
  
It wasn't until he had gotten home from work that he found a note on his dresser.  
  
_Hey Heero_  
  
_Had lots of fun. *Lots of fun*. You did too, in case you_  
 _don't remember. I'm going to assume we're on for next_  
 _Saturday unless you tell me otherwise. I have really_  
 _good plans for then. I'll come by your place around_  
 _11:00 am. See you!_

_Remember Yuy: five's the lucky number._


	5. Date Five - At the Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by Lady Archer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).  
> \------  
> Note: Major sap ahead. It just came out of no where and whacked me over the head. >_<

"Dance with me?"  
  
Heero was flying through space on a twisting staircase. He was running...  
  
...Up...And down...  
  
...Up and down...  
  
...Up and down...  
  
...Running after a laughing boy with a long braid and shining purple eyes who kept asking him to dance...  
  
...He couldn't catch up and everything with confused...  
  
...And then there was a banging that sounded painfully through his head...  
  
...BANG...  
  
...BANG...  
  
...Again...  
  
...And again...  
  
...And again...  
  
A rational part of his mind was going on and on in a constant, mind- drumming monotone, the voice distant and hard to hear...  
  
...You're dreaming...you've overslept...remember the mission, Yuy...It was supposed to last five hours tops...and it stretched to 48 and...you went to bed at nine in the morning...tired...you've overslept...  
  
And his head kept banging...and banging...and banging...and then suddenly...  
  
There was silence. Peaceful, blessed silence, and Heero let out an unconscious sigh of relief...  
  
...  
  
" _Heero!_ Hey! Where are you? Heero! Oh ­ Holy hell! What will become of the world when Heero Yuy oversleeps? Heero!"  
  
Heero's eyes flew open and he instantly took out his gun and pointed it - directly between two grinning purple eyes.   
  
"...The hell?"  
  
"Didn't think you were ever going to wake, Yuy."  
  
Heero glared at Duo who was thoughtfully tapping his chin with a slim finger. The purple eyes glanced off to the side, and Heero followed his gaze and immediately paled when he saw the glass of water in Duo's hand.   
  
"I was kind of hoping I was going to have to take more drastic measures ­ " He stopped short when in one swift move Heero sat up, shot out a hand to grip Duo's wrist, and then used his other hand to replace his gun under his pillow and to take the offending glass of water and place it safely on his dresser, all in a quick three seconds.   
  
"What is it with you and pouring water on me?" Heero growled irritably.   
  
Duo winked. "I guess I just like to see you all wet and sexy."  
  
Heero opened his mouth then abruptly closed it. He took a deep breath. "You have got to stop picking the lock on my door ­ "  
  
"Maybe if you'd open your door once in a while..."  
  
"There are damn security cameras in this building and I am not getting your ass out of jail when you get caught."  
  
Duo snickered, and Heero glared at him. "What?"  
  
"Honestly, Heero. Do you think some security officer is gonna take old Shinigami down? Please!" Duo waved a dismissing hand.  
  
Heero smirked. "I'm a cop. Maybe I should arrest you."  
  
Duo raised an eyebrow and affected a look of interest. "I didn't realize you were into kink...!"  
  
Heero choked. "Idiot..." he muttered.   
  
Duo laughed. "So Heero, you planning on getting out of bed or am I going to have to totally redesign my plans to involve you, me, and your very soft bed? I'd be pretty pissed at you...though I'd probably get over it pretty quickly." He winked again, and Heero, annoyed, pushed past him and disappeared into the bathroom.   
  
When he had come out of the shower and gotten dressed he saw Duo lounging comfortably on his couch looking through a large shopping bag.   
  
"Ready to go?" Heero asked, knowing better by now than to ask where. Duo stood up and walked in front of him, slowly eyeing him up and down. Heero waited impatiently during the scrutiny, and glared when Duo shook his head in disapproval.  
  
"Strip." Heero choked. Again.  
  
"What?" he said in a strangled voice.  
  
Duo raised his eyebrows and gestured towards Heero's clothes. "That won't do! Strip." Heero continued to stare at Duo, who rolled his eyes. "We're going to the beach, and you can't wear that."  
  
"You could have told me. I own a bathing suit."  
  
Duo smirked, and Heero, learning to trust the sinking feeling in his stomach, considered bolting. "But I bought one just for you. Wear it for me?" Heero watched in trepidation as Duo reached into the bag he had brought and came out with a tiny piece of cloth that under no circumstances could be considered a bathing suit.  
  
"No way in hell am I wearing that," Heero stated flatly. Duo pouted.  
  
"Please? Just once?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Just ­ "  
  
"No."  
  
Duo sighed. "Fine, I'll just leave and pick up some other cop to go to the beach with me who will appreciate my presents and my efforts..." Heero growled in frustration.  
  
"I'll come, but I won't wear that," he tried to compromise.   
  
"I'm just asking you to wear it once, Heero! I mean, I only get one more date to play with you!"  
  
Heero grimaced, stared at the suit, then at Duo's hopeful face, and then took the offensive suit and disappeared into his bedroom.   
  
He came out dressed in frayed jeans and an old t-shirt. Duo raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't look like you're wearing the suit to me..."  
  
Heero smirked, tugged low on his pants, and pointed to show that he quite clearly was wearing the suit underneath.   
  
Duo glared. "You can't wear jeans over it!"  
  
"You said wear it. I am."  
  
"Tricky bastard." Duo sighed and then grinned. "Well, I've got all the stuff we need," he gestured to his large bag, "ready to go?"  
  
They left, Duo's black car waiting outside for them. Getting inside they drove off. "Why are we going to a beach?" Heero asked. He had been so sure Duo was going to take him somewhere particularly torturous for their last date, and so an unremarkable date to the beach was remarkably suspicious.  
  
He looked over and saw a wistful smile slip across Duo's face. "Cause that's where we first met, of course. Remember? We played around in the sand and proclaimed our undying love for each other and shared our first kiss..." Duo sighed.  
  
Heero stared at Duo. "What?"  
  
"Oh, right. I meant to say that we met on a port and I shot you twice and we're going to a beach cause I wanted to see you in that suit. Same difference, ne?" Duo asked, grinning.   
  
Heero snorted, and looked out the window, eyes on the passing scenery. After a long ride they arrived at a public beach, and Heero eyed the crowds warily.   
  
Parking, Duo hopped out of the car and tugged Heero after him. They walked around for a while merely enjoying the atmosphere before Duo finally decided they needed to choose a good spot to lay down on. Heero watched as Duo, face set in determination, searched ­ for and found a good spot that was off to the side, far away from most of the crowds.  
  
They sat down on the sand and merely stayed there for a moment, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. "Doesn't it feel weird to be normal?" Duo asked casually.  
  
Heero raised an eyebrow. "Define normal."  
  
Duo looked at him and blinked. "Umm...what most people do?"   
  
"Don't ask me. Define it."  
  
Duo thought about it. Heero leaned back, his elbows propping him up, and watched as Duo struggled for an answer. "Normal is...it's what...hell...it's what is expected, I guess. What the average person does. What's typical."  
  
"Maybe going to the beach with you will become typical. And then maybe going to the beach with you will be normal for me." Duo blinked again, and stared at Heero, silently.   
  
"Going to the beach is normal for everyone," Duo pointed out.   
  
"It is not normal to me. Piloting a Gundam and firing a gun is normal to me. But I suppose I can add going to the beach with you as normal as well. It depends on how much you annoy me today."  
  
Duo smiled slightly. He held up a bottle of sun block and raised his eyebrows. Smirking slightly Heero commanded Duo to lie down on his stomach, and he proceeded to cover every inch of the American with lotion. He was very thorough, much to Duo's delight. Afterwards, Duo repaid the favor to Heero.  
  
A slight wind blew past them as they sat, staring out into the ocean. Duo came forward and to sit just beyond the wave's reach, eyes never leaving the crystalline waters.  
  
Heero came to kneel behind him. Slowly, he took Duo's braid in his hand and gently tugged off the band and unraveled it. He sat back, watching the strands immediately take to the wind in a wild dance.   
  
Duo finally turned away from the ocean and turned to Heero with a questioning look. Heero ran his fingers through the wild strands. "Maybe letting your hair down and playing with it will be normal for me."  
  
"Do you want it to be normal?"  
  
"You're beautiful."   
  
"Do you want it to be normal?" Duo repeated.  
  
"Yes," Heero said simply.   
  
Duo shrugged slightly. "I'll keep it down," he said softly.   
  
"But you always braid it."  
  
"But it's pretty easy isn't it? That's what you're saying? I just don't braid it...and then braiding it won't be normal anymore, will it?"  
  
Heero gave a small smile. "I didn't say that. You assumed I did."  
  
"Then what did you say?" Heero smirked softly and he didn't answer. "Okay, I'll keep it down." They both turned to look out into the sea. They watched the water for a long time, Heero's hands constantly playing with the silky hair that danced around him.   
  
After a while Duo turned to Heero with a gleam in his eye. "Want to go swimming?"   
  
"I'm not wearing that damn bathing suit."  
  
"Swim with me anyway. We'll dry on the beach, kay?" He stood up and before Heero could protest dragged him into the water, fully dressed.  
  
"Duo!" The American just laughed and swam a while out before stopping and treading the water, staring at Heero in a silent challenge, his shirt clinging to his skin. Heero stared at the sight for a moment before diving in after him. They swam around for a little, chasing one another through the water.  
  
At one point Heero lost sight of Duo and he looked around frantically, unable to spot him. He felt a slight tug and he looked down too late as Duo instantly swam away clutching Heero's jeans to his chest. Heero surfaced and saw Duo standing on the beach, waving his pants through the air, daring him to come after them. Cursing him in every language he knew, Heero gritted his teeth and left the water, his face red.   
  
Duo whistled and Heero snapped, running at the boy too quickly for Duo to escape and tackling him to the ground. He pined Duo's arms above his head and straddled his waist, glaring into laughing eyes.  
  
Glaring still Heero snatched the jeans and put them on, cursing the grinning boy, and moving to sit a few feet away from Duo, arms around his knees. Heero felt Duo come up and hug him from behind.   
  
"You're pretty wet," Duo noted. Heero just snorted. "I noticed a volleyball net a little bit away when we first came. Want to play?"  
  
"Volleyball?" Heero asked, dubiously.  
  
"Yup, a little one on one."  
  
"One on one volleyball."  
  
"Oh, are you not up to it? I suppose after your crushing defeat in the All-Important Earthsphere Wide 2x1 Basketball Competition you might be a little embarrassed to compete with me..."   
  
"Hardly. And I thought it was 1x2."  
  
"I won, why should you come first? I thought you didn't care!"  
  
"You're a bit conceited, Duo. Now I'm thinking I might prefer 1x2."  
  
"How about whoever wins gets to choose whether its 1x2 or 2x1?"  
  
Heero smirked. "Fine with me." They stood up and found their way to the net. They stood on either side, exchanging childish taunts just for amusement. Duo threw the ball into the air and with a large smack to the ball they played.   
  
An hour later Heero spiked the ball ­ again ­ in the exact opposite direction Duo was running to, and the American collapsed backwards onto the sand.   
  
"I give up," he announced.   
  
Heero came over to kneel by him. "Giving up? Not like you."  
  
"You're beating me 67 to 4, you bastard." Heero smirked. "And you know it. Braggart. It's cause I beat you at basketball, isn't it?"   
  
The smirk widened. "I aim for perfection."  
  
"You call me a sore loser," Duo muttered. "It's probably cause I took your pants, too."  
  
"What do I win?" Heero sat down seeing that Duo didn't seem too inclined to get up anytime soon.  
  
Duo raised an eyebrow, still lying forlornly on the rough sand. "You want a prize?"   
  
"I think I deserve a prize," Heero decided.   
  
"I didn't get a prize."  
  
"You cheated. It's your tournament, so what's my prize?"  
  
Duo thought about it. "Me?"  
  
Heero looked dubious. "Why would I want you?" Duo just grinned.   
  
He leaped up and dragged Heero up with him. Hand in hand they walked along the beach until they came to a small ice cream shop. Duo ordered two cones, despite Heero's protests that he didn't like ice cream, and after lots of pleas and dire threats shoved the frozen cream down Heero's throat until he grudgingly admitted that it was pretty good.   
  
At about this time Duo decided that it was time to build something with the sand. "What are you going to make?" Heero asked.  
  
Duo grinned, "I didn't say I was going to _make_ something."  
  
Heero frowned. "What are you going to do?"  
  
"I'll tell you, but only if you promise to follow my instructions exactly."  
  
"No."  
  
"Please? I ­ "  
  
"No." Duo sighed, disappointed.  
  
"Fine, do you wanna just like down in the sand and do nothing, then?"   
  
Heero shrugged. "That's fine with me." Walking back to their original spot they settled down. Heero laid back and closed his eyes, hands behind his head.   
  
He took a deep breath, enjoying the sun for a while when he frowned slightly. Something was tickling his foot. He shifted a little, and found that he couldn't move his leg. Eyes flying open he sat up straight ­ and found Duo busily burying him with sand. His entire right leg was already covered.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?"  
  
Duo glanced up and said distractedly, "I'm building with the sand," before he returned to the challenging work of packing sand over every inch of Heero's body.  
  
"I didn't agree!"  
  
Heero saw Duo smirk in a very self-satisfied way. "Maybe you should review our conversation."  
  
"I said I..." Heero trailed off and cursed.   
  
"Lay back, Yuy. I have a lot of skin left to cover and I'm going to be pissed if you mess up my hard work." Heero glared at Duo who merely shoved him back and continued burying him. Heero stared up at the sky, fuming.  
  
After about twenty minutes his entire lower body had been covered. "Is there a point to this?" Heero decided to ask, since asking Duo to stop, asking Duo how much of him he was planning to cover, and trying to distract Duo with tempting promises had all failed.  
  
"Of course there's a point."  
  
Heero waited, and when no answer was forthcoming requested an elaboration.  
  
"The point is to cover you from toes to neck in sand."  
  
"That's the point."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"You're doing this why?" Heero started to rise angrily but Duo waved his hands and pushed him back down.  
  
"Don't move! You'll mess it up!" Staying perfectly still Heero repeated his question. "I've never buried someone in sand before."  
  
Heero gave up, and waited while Duo continued the tedious work. Another fifteen minutes and he was up to his chest, and another ten after that he was covered from his toes to his neck. He looked at Duo expectantly. "Well? Are you done?"  
  
Duo smirked, and Heero felt that sinking feeling again. "You don't think I'd let all this hard work go to waste, do you?" Without another word Duo straddled his immobilized-love, leaned down, and plundered his mouth. Heero stared up at him, and lifted his lips to deepen the kiss but Duo pulled away, grinning. Heero frowned, not liking this game at all.   
  
Enjoying himself immensely, Duo proceeded to lick and tease every inch of Heero's face, leaving the trapped man panting, eyes glazed. Heero tried to reach for Duo and cursed when he realized the sand had hardened slightly and he was stuck. For a long time Duo continued his delicious torture, until Heero couldn't take it anymore and forced himself through the sandy trap, instantly pinning Duo and kissing him madly, running his hands all along the American.   
  
"Bastard," he hissed. Duo laughed and kissed him. They rolled around in the sand, and after a while Heero quite forgot why he had been mad.  
  
After a while they calmed down and found themselves once more on the rough sand staring out at into the sea, the water brushing past their feet. It was getting dark, and the beach was practically empty. A slight breeze blew past them.   
  
"Yuy?"  
  
"Hn?"  
  
"What is it with you and rough, uncomfortable surfaces?"   
  
Heero dug his fingers into the sand. "I don't mind the sand." They stared out into the water.  
  
Then Duo turned to Heero with a sly look. "Ne, Heero? When did you realize that you looooove me?"   
  
Heero turned to look at Duo and said with absolute sincerity, "When the war ended, and you weren't there."   
  
Duo smiled slightly.   
  
Heero looked away. "What about you? When did you know?"  
  
"I told ya, Heero." Heero's eyes narrowed slightly, thinking, but Duo just grinned. "When I was in the hanger with the wrench in my back. That's when I knew." Heero chuckled softly.  
  
"That was such a stupid idea, you know." Heero commented.   
  
"Maybe," Duo agreed before slowly pressing his lips against Heero's in a slow, leisurely kiss. They merely tasted each other, sharing one another's breath for several seconds. Lowering down to the sandy beach once more they made love while the skies slowly darkened around them. Later, they lay in each other's arms, waves washing past them.   
  
"You sure showed me, Heero," Duo remarked.   
  
Heero stared at Duo, and then before he could stop himself he burst into laughter. Duo blinked in surprise at hearing Heero's rich laughter, but then he too starting laughing. Still chuckling slightly, Heero intertwined their fingers, and they slept together on the beach.  
  
"What about this?" Duo asked sleepily. "Will sex on the beach be normal for us?"  
  
Heero snorted softly. "Maybe." They shared another soft kiss.  
  
Being together? Yeah, that became normal for them, too. All it cost was 5 dates.


	6. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).  
> \------------  
> Note: This was actually the first part I wrote and I'm so happy to finally get to post it. ^_^

**A.C. 195**  
  
Duo stared up at the ceiling in utter amazement.  
  
"I can't believe it!" he said. He turned onto his side and nudged the boy next to him. "Heero?" Duo poked him a few times and the boy grunted. "Heero!"   
  
"What?" was the grumpy reply.  
  
"We just had sex, Heero!" Duo exclaimed breathlessly.  
  
Heero turned to stare at Duo, his face unreadable. They were both laying naked on the floor in a hanger, Wing looming over them on the right and Deathscythe on the left.   
  
"Shut up," Heero said simply, and then closed his eyes, breathing deep and even.  
  
"I mean, who would have thought? Wow...I mean damn! I just can't believe that ­ "  
  
"It's your own damn fault, anyway."  
  
"My fault? I think you played a pretty big role, ya know..."  
  
Heero growled wordlessly, running a hand lightly along Duo's side.  
  
"Wow. That felt really good. We should do it again sometime, ne?"   
  
Heero made a noncommittal mumble and Duo was momentarily distracted as Heero began sucking at his neck.   
  
He moaned slightly before getting back onto his twisted track and said, "I mean, this was just sex, right?"  
  
"No," Heero said sarcastically. "I love you."   
  
"You love me?! Heero Yuy loves me! Heero Yuy loves me!" Duo sang out, terribly off-key.  
  
"Shut up," Heero growled again. Suddenly Duo rolled around until he was straddling Heero. He leaned down so he was nose to nose with the annoyed pilot.  
  
"Come on, admit it! You want me! You looooove me, don't cha?"   
  
Heero growled and in turn rolled Duo on his back. He hungrily kissed Duo's mouth and then pulled away, impassive eyes staring into Duo's.  
  
"Or maybe...you love Relena! Do you love Relena, Heero?"  
  
Heero's eyes narrowed to slits. "Leave Relena out of this," he said flatly.  
  
"You do!" Duo exclaimed. "You didn't deny it!"  
  
"Shut up and go to sleep!"  
  
"On the hanger floor? That's a stretch even for you, Yuy."  
  
Heero snorted, but didn't reply. "Do you want to have sex again sometime, Yuy? I mean, why not? Nothing is coming of it, ne?"  
  
"Like I could put up with you," Heero muttered.  
  
"So you're saying that during daylight you couldn't deal with me?"  
  
"Who would want to?"  
  
"What about after the war? Could you put up with me then?" Duo asked, chuckling to himself with his seemingly endless supply of mirth.  
  
"Probably not. I'm the perfect solider, not some goddam superman..."  
  
"I don't know...superman's kinda cute. I bet he'd put up with me."   
  
"I take it back. Not even superman could put up with you."  
  
Duo sniffed in an offended manner but his bright smile gave him away. "Are you saying you could only put up with me on cold hanger floors while mercilessly ravishing me?"  
  
Heero snorted, and then laid rough kisses all along the chest of the boy trapped below him. Duo laughed, and Heero paused for a second at the pleasant feel of Duo's vibrating stomach.  
  
"I bet from now on you're just going to drag me off somewhere whenever you feel like it and have your wicked way with me, ain't cha?"  
  
"Probably," Heero said, rolling off of Duo and wrapping the boy in his arms.  
  
"If ya do, I'll get back at you. I can be a bastard when I want to be, you know. And I'll get back at you."  
  
"Hn."  
  
"The first thing I'll do is to get rid of those one-word answers of yours. Sometimes they aren't even one word! They're just a grunt. Conversation can be a real bitch with you and I won't put up with it, I'll tell you that right now."   
  
"Hn."  
  
"I'm gonna start plotting my revenge right now, okay?"  
  
"Shut up and go to sleep."  
  
"Why don't we go inside, Heero?"   
  
"Shut up."  
  
"The floor is cold, Heero. I ain't sleeping on the floor."  
  
Heero's only response was to tighten his grip around Duo's waist and to bury his head in the lush chestnut hair.  
  
"I think a wrench is digging into my back."   
  
Growling irritably, Heero rolled onto his back so that Duo was lying on top of him.  
  
Duo blinked at the sudden change, and then inspected his new mattress. He frowned slightly, pressing the palms of his hands against Heero's chest. "Well, this isn't any better! This bed is so, so hard, and, and..." Duo's eyes trailed lower and he smirked, "and _hard_."   
  
Growling, Heero shoved Duo off of him and Duo rolled away, laughing loudly.  
  
"So you don't think you could put up with me?" Perhaps if Heero had been looking at Duo and not absently playing with a few strands of hair that fell near him he would have seen the mischievous gleam that entered Duo's eyes. "I didn't realize there was something you could admit you couldn't do."  
  
At this Heero did look up, amazed that Duo could be so childish. "Are you taunting me?" he asked, incredulous.   
  
"I'm just saying that I can't believe that putting up with me is your weakness."  
  
"Shut up, Duo," Heero growled. He pushed the American away and retrieved his clothes that had been carelessly tossed a few feet away. Quickly and efficiently he cleaned himself with a towel and put on his spandex shorts and green shirt. He then climbed onto his Gundam and began tinkering around with it, beginning the tedious task of fixing parts that had been broken in his most recent battle, as if he had not just had sex on the cold hanger floor.   
  
Shaking his head ruefully Duo did the same, hopping up his prized Gundam and cleaning the exterior of Deathscythe so he could get to the messed up wiring underneath.  
  
"So? What are you gonna do, after the war?" Duo asked casually, hanging upside down, legs curled around Deathscythe's arm holding him up as he removed a plate and began working.   
  
"Damned if I know," was the muttered response.  
  
"Come on, you have to have some plans." Duo cursed loudly as he saw how much the inside wiring had been damaged.  
  
"I'm not going to live past the war."   
  
"That's pretty gloomy. Come on, what if you live?"  
  
"Duo, shut up."   
  
"Come on!" he wheedled. "What if you live? Just answer!"  
  
"This war isn't going to end." Heero frowned slightly, jumping lightly into Wing's cockpit and playing around with the controls trying to determine what was wrong with his suit.  
  
"It's gotta end sometime," Duo called from his perch on Deathscythe.  
  
"It won't end. I'll probably die before it does."  
  
"Work with me here, Yuy. What if the war ends and you're alive?"  
  
"Then I'll wander aimlessly around until a new war starts, I suppose."  
  
"A new war? What new war?" Duo poked his head into Heero's cockpit with an interested look.  
  
"A new war. Peace will not last."  
  
"Okay, fine. Whatever," Duo returned to his own Gundam. "But I'm talking about that little itty bit of time between War A and War B, okay? What are you going to do then?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
"I know what you'll do. You're going to be a diplomat."  
  
"Duo, just shut up."  
  
"I'm being serious here! You make a statement and give a little glare and people will be begging you to have your way if you just leave em the hell alone! I mean, who's gonna argue with you?"  
  
"You argue with me. All the time," Heero said, clearly not pleased.  
  
"But I'm not gonna be a diplomat, so you're in the clear."  
  
"What are you going to be then?" Heero asked in voice that said quite clearly that he couldn't care less.  
  
"I'm going be a respectable and wealthy industrialist."  
  
Heero peered out of his cockpit and gave Duo a dubious look. "Money matters to you?"   
  
"Not really, I suppose. I guess I just like the title. Would you say no to being called a wealthy industrialist?" Receiving a glare Duo waved his hand in a pacifying manner. "Okay, okay! But really...I want to go into salvage, I suppose. Maybe business."  
  
"You don't know anything about business." Realizing he was only encouraging Duo's chatter Heero sat back down and got out his laptop. The click of the keyboard echoed slightly in the hanger.   
  
"You would assume that! You could be sitting over there typing for hours thinking to yourself that that stupid Duo Maxwell doesn't know anything about business! You're thinking that, aren't you?"  
  
"Do you?"  
  
"No," Duo admitted. "But I'd learn, I guess." He tweaked his suit for a bit, swinging around to reach a back panel that had taken a direct hit, and said, "We should get together after the war, Yuy."  
  
"No."  
  
"Come on! I bet we'd have fun. Don't you want to see me after the war?"  
  
"No. Shut up."  
  
"You know what? We're gonna see each other a lot during the war. I bet you're just gonna keep telling me to shut up and pushing me away and all when here I am giving you friendship on a silver platter and then you're not gonna know how much you screwed up with me until I'm not there anymore! You'll be wishing for my company really soon, thinking about how fond you grew of me without you meaning to! I bet that's exactly what will happen."  
  
"If it does, shoot me," Heero said flatly.  
  
"Just watch, I bet you'll fall in love with me or something and you won't know what hit you until it's too late!"  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Maybe I'll fall in love with you. I bet I will. I bet if you weren't such a bastard all the time it would be possible for someone to love you."  
  
"You love me?"

"No," Duo admitted.  
  
"Do you think that will really happen?"  
  
"Probably not," Duo said lightly, seeming not too concerned either way. He was silent for a moment before he burst out into song, "Heero and Duo sitting in a tree!"  
  
"Duo!"  
  
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"  
  
" _Duo!_ "  
  
"First comes love!"  
  
"Duo, shut up!"  
  
"Then comes marriage!"  
  
Heero growled wordlessly.  
  
"Then comes ­ Ow!" Duo was cut short as a well-aimed wrench whacked him in the back. Duo sulked resentfully for a moment before swiftly brightening once more. "You know what we should do after the war?" Duo asked in a voice of one who has just come up with a fantastic new idea. "We should date!"  
  
"Shut up," Heero growled, silently willing the American pilot to go away.  
  
"Oh, right. You can't put up with me during daylight, huh?" Duo grinned, and peered over to look at the Japanese boy. "Come on, Heero. How about one date? Could you put up with me for one date?"  
  
"A date?"  
  
"Yeah, one date. Could you do it?"   
  
Heero was silent for a moment, typing swiftly, before he said, "Why the hell would I want to?"  
  
Duo rolled his eyes. "To be with me, of course. Come on, could you?"  
  
"What would a date involve?" Heero asked suspiciously.   
  
"You don't trust me to pick a good date place?" Duo hopped down from Deathscythe to search for spare parts with which to fix the depressing amount of damage he had found.  
  
"Of course I don't trust you outside of missions, idiot."  
  
"You have such a tactful way with words..." Duo commented amiably, sorting through boxes of old wrecked suits.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"So would you go with me? Huh?"  
  
"You didn't answer my question. What would a date involve?"   
  
Duo thoughtfully tapped pliers he had found against his chin, thinking. "It would be entirely up to me. I'd make you suffer really bad."  
  
"Make me suffer?" Heero paused in his typing. Taking his laptop with him he perched himself on Wing's arm so he could better gauge Duo's expressions.   
  
"Yeah, remember? For ravishing me all the time?"  
  
"I haven't done that yet."   
  
"But you're planning to, ain't cha?"  
  
Heero snorted softly, glancing at Duo before returning to the laptop monitor. "Probably."  
  
"Exactly. I mean, you deserve to suffer just for making me lay on a hanger floor! That wrench was killing me!"   
  
"Shut up."  
  
"We're having a conversation, ya know," Duo felt it was about time he pointed out. Finding what he was looking for, he returned to his Gundam and swung himself back up.  
  
Heero growled. "Fine. Where the hell would you take me?"  
  
"I'd drag you dancing probably, or make you dress up in really embarrassing stuff. You'd have to do whatever I say otherwise it wouldn't count."  
  
"Sounds stupid."  
  
"So, could you put up with me for one date?"  
  
Heero snorted. "Yes, idiot. I could probably refrain from killing you during one date, if that's what you're asking."  
  
"Two dates, then? Could you live through two dates with me, Yuy?"   
  
"I suppose," Heero said, not really paying attention to the conversation.  
  
"Three ­ fuck!" Duo sucked on the finger he had accidentally cut and then brought it close to his face to inspect the wound. "Stupid gundaninum...Three dates, Yuy?"  
  
"Whatever," Heero growled, annoyed.  
  
"Four?" Injury forgotten Duo resumed the conversation with enthusiasm.   
  
"Duo, shut up." Heero, researching potential enemy bases, could not believe that Duo was still talking.   
  
"Could you put up with me for four dates?" Duo insisted.   
  
"Would we be doing the same thing?" Heero reflected that by answering he was really only making things worse for himself.   
  
"No, I'd think up different ways of making you suffer. I'm pretty creative, you know." Duo, on the other hand, was thrilled at how responsive Heero was being.   
  
"Why should I bother to go on dates with you if only to suffer?"  
  
Duo sighed in exasperation, waving a wrench around for emphasis. "To be with me, I told you!  
  
"I want to be with you...?"  
  
"If you're not quick, I'll be with someone else!"  
  
"Who would want you?"  
  
"Lots of people, I bet. Then you'd be sorry!"  
  
"I'll just get you a tattoo."  
  
Duo sounded interested, and he turned to Heero with a look of curiosity. "Really? What kind of tattoo?"  
  
Heero smirked. "One that says across your forehead, 'Property of Heero Yuy.'"  
  
"Very funny."  
  
"Hn," Heero said in a pleased-sounding grunt.  
  
"Fine, consider it overcoming your weakness, kay? Now could you put up with me for four dates?"  
  
"Yes, now shut up."  
  
"Five?" Heero gritted his teeth. "Come on, just answer. Could you put up with me ­ "  
  
"Yes! Now shut up!" Heero heard a crunch, and cursed as he realized he had been punching the keys too hard in his irritation and had practically smashed his keyboard.   
  
"How about six? Could you ­ "  
  
"Duo," Heero growled, and Duo paused at the warning tone he heard in the Japanese boy's voice. "If I could put up with you for five dates, I could put up with you forever."  
  
Duo's eyes lit up, and Heero instantly regretted his words. He cursed himself again for giving the overactive boy more fuel to work with.  
  
"Do you want to be with me forever?" Duo asked cheekily, coming over to sit next to Heero on Wing's arm.  
  
"No."   
  
Heero gritted his teeth as Duo inched closer and shouted in his face, "Heero's contradicting himself! Look who's not perfect now!"  
  
"Duo..." He shoved the boy, forgetting for a second they were on a 40 story high suit. Duo just went with the shove, swinging himself backwards and dangling with his legs curled around the arm.  
  
"So, Mr. Charming? Do you? Want to be with me forever, I mean? You said so yourself! Unless...I know! If you tell me you're a bloody, no good hypocrite I'll forget you said it! Say it! Say, "I'm Heero Yuy and I'm a bloody, no good hypocrite!"  
  
"Shut ­ "  
  
"Come on!" Duo complained, and drawled in a mockingly romantic voice, "Don't you want to be with me forever, darling?"  
  
"After five dates I might as well. Now shut up!"  
  
"You _do_ want to!" Duo fanned himself with the wrench in his hand.  
  
"What else am I going to do?" Heero asked quietly. Duo considered taking pity on him. Then after about four seconds of mercy quickly rejected the foolish notion.  
  
"After the war, I'm going to ask you out on five dates!" Heero still couldn't believe that Duo was _still_ talking. "I hope you have sugar, Heero, because your words are going to taste so bitter once I make you eat them!"  
  
"You won't remember."  
  
"Are you mocking my intelligence, Yuy?"   
  
"Yes."  
  
Miffed, Duo monkeyed down Wing and returned to the arm of his own suit. "I'm still going to have the last laugh!"  
  
"You're going to remember? It's not as if we're going to live past the war."  
  
"I know," Duo said lightly, rubbing his fingers against the smooth metal he sat on. "I'll probably forget."  
  
"Probably," Heero agreed, for once.  
  
"But if I remember, I'm going to make you eat your words."  
  
"You won't remember."  
  
"I guess not," Duo admitted.  
  
"And even if you do remember, it doesn't matter because I'm not going out with you for five dates."  
  
Duo turned to Heero in mock distress. "But you just said you could! Are you backing down?"  
  
"It's stupid."  
  
"Does that mean you don't think you could handle it, ne?"  
  
"You'll forget, or we won't live. Either way it doesn't matter." Closing the subject, Heero started to type before he remembered that the keyboard was broken. Silently fuming he thought about where to get a new one.   
  
Duo pouted slightly. "I guess..." Sighing, he turned away from the other boy and returned his attention to Deathscythe.   
  
"It's a stupid idea anyway."   
  
"Shut up, Heero," Duo said absently, mind on his Gundam and the conversation practically forgotten.  
  
~Owari~


End file.
